The Princess sure has been through it these last few days, although this is getting a bit repetitive. Am I Nightmare Moon, am I an enemy, how many times is this going to happen in one decade, seems to me like she's just being overdramatic. Dear Celestia, I need a nap.

"Oh Mr. guard?" Without warning, those words penetrated his confidence, making him stand at attention from his daydreaming state. "You didn't fall asleep did you?" he heard from behind the infirmary door.

"N-no mam." He stuttered back trying his best to seem as though had been standing upright this entire time. "H-how may I assist you, Princess Luna?"

The stallion couldn't help but question the silence that followed, almost as if he had been talking to no one in the first place. He waited a moment, a moment more, but still, no response followed. He almost considered going in to check on her, but knew that it would be very awkward for him and her if he just so happened to walk in on her in the midst of her sleep. There'd be a hint of awkwardness about it before he finally, the princess would simply evaporate his existence from reality. The mental experience alone made him shiver in fear. But then, a voice clear as a day sounded. "Mr. Guard? Sentinial was it?"

"Oh don't be silly Sentinial, I've always admired you, you are my favorite guard after all."

Damn my past self for ever spouting any negativity at Luna's issues, she's certain to have figured it out. I'm dead, I just know it. "I'm honored Ms. Luna, truly I am."

P-pet names? There it is Sentinial, the calm before the storm, buttering you up before she razes you down to your armor. I'm dead, I'm so dead! "Y-yes mam?"

"Would you be a dear and come in here a moment, I seem to be having a little trouble with something."

"Y-yes mam, right away mam." Here we go Sentinial, remember, show confidence, show confidence. If you're going to die, it's going to be on your terms. He opened the door with a gentle motion, the ominous creaking of the door seemingly giving him no doubt about the situation. He slowly entered the room, his eyes noting one thing and one thing only, just how dark it was in this room. Even with the curtain slightly open, there seemed to be no light filtering into the room. "Princess Luna mam, where are you?"

"I hate to say it Princess but I can't quite see...anything, could you be more specific?"

"I'm sorry my princess, it's pitch black in here, I can barely see my own hooves."

"What do you--" He was immediately consumed by a mix of confusion and fear as those two white eyes shone in the darkness. However, those feelings were set in stone as something else began to shine along with them. "P-Princess...Luna?"

"Oh, is it not? I am truly sorry for that, my memory has been a bit odd as of late. Perhaps I could make it up to you?"

"Princess, that w-won't be neccessa--" he stopped, his entire body freezing like a glitch on a computer screen.

"Oh do not worry dear guard." She uttered as her eyes suddenly appeared behind him, a cold breath escaping her onto his neck. "I insist."

"Then you're using an aging spell? or would that be a De-aging spell? Maybe a youth spell?"

"It just doesn't make sense, perhaps as alicorns, our enhanced magic slows down the death of our cells, or--"

"Twilight dear, please calm yourself. As much as I enjoy your theories, I've completely forgotten about--"

"P-p-princess Luna." A guard stammered out as he rounded the corner and literally tripped into the ground. "P-Princess Celestia."

"Guild? What in the heavens happened to you?" she asked helping him to his hooves.

"S-she requests her presence as well, actually...only you and her." The guard added.

Celestia and Twilight turned to each other for a moment, their eyes both confirming a slight "confusion" in the situation. "Well then, I suppose we shouldn't keep my dear sister waiting, right Twilight?"

"Please rest here Guild, you look truly terrible," Celestia said with a comforting tone as she and Twilight began making their way toward the throne room. "Twilight, before we enter, could you do something for me?"

They arrived a few minutes later than I anticipated but all is well, this won't ruin the grand reveal, no no, the guest should always be fashionably late I always say, not like father and how he always wants to be perfect in the noble's eyes, so annoying. As I sat upon my own throne, I heard a knock at the doors, my attention of preparation was immediately shifted toward greeting my guest. Oh dear me, they're here, they're here, does my mane look alright, does my breath stink? I thought as I breathed into my hoof and tested it. Minty Fresh as always, I am ready. "Sister, Twilight, don't be shy, come in come in."

The doors slowly opened, the white and purple hoofs slowly clacking along the cold floor as their eyes wandered ever forward. I removed the rug, for a dramatic reason of course. "Sister? Sister, where are you?"

"We heard you were all better Princess Luna?" Twilight added. "Although I would like to test you for after-effects, are you feeling any lingering symptoms, any new symptoms?"

I watched as the two pairs of eyes wandered around the room, forever lost. Celestia never quite got how I did that, although I doubt she needed it seeing as how she found her own ways of disappearing. "Twilight, we may have been horribly pranked," she said with a giggle. "I knew my sister had a sense of humor but this is rather awkward now isn't it?"

Twilight returned her own giggle at the situation. "I believe this is more of Rainbow Dash or Pinkie Pie's specialty, perhaps she invited them over."

"Let us see to the infirmary then, Luna no doubt used this as a way to lighten our mood before revealing herself to be perfectly fine."

"I agree, let me just flash--" Silence, no magic, no flashing. "Um, let me just--Um Princess, do you think you could maybe flash us there?"

"Quite alright, we shall have Nurse Redheart take a look at you as well." Celestia lifted her horn to the air and concentrated, however, no magic seemed to emanate from it's tip. "I...can not as well? Perhaps something has gone wrong near the castle, we must investigate once we ensure Luna is safe, come Twilight."

The two of them stood there still as rocks despite Celestia's words. "Weren't you going to start running?" Twilight confusingly asked.

"Neither can I...Twilight I fear something is truly amis--" She uttered before her body, as well as Twilight's, suddenly began walking of it's own free will. They slowly made their way over the thrones, Celestia sitting upon hers and Twilight taking the ground next to it. "T-Twilight, I can't control my movements, something has possessed our bodies."

"I'm trying to negate whatever it is Princess but, I just can't seem to use any m-magic..."

Their eyes were suddenly drawn toward the royal doors, as they began to slowly, ever so slowly creak open and my voice began to fade into the room.

"Come, little children, I'll take thee away
Into a land of enchantment
Come, little children, the time's come to play
Here in my garden of shadows

Follow, sweet children, I'll show thee the way
Through all the pain and the sorrows
Weep not, poor children, for life is this way
Murdering beauty and passions

Hush now, dear children, it must be this way
Too weary of life and deceptions
Rest now, my children, for soon we'll away
Into the calm and the quiet"

The doors began to show my presence as my hooves finally took their first steps into the throne room. I could see the look on their faces, confusion, shock, surprise, as they stared down my features. Imagine your surprise if your sister, who had been well known for her starry appearance suddenly appeared in front of you, unlike herself. I believe this is the exact reaction. "When I was far too worried about the raging storms outside day by day, mother would come and sing that song to me, and it worked every time to soothe my nerves. I figured it would allow you to feel the same relief, Tia."

Celestia's face was frozen, with the earlier confusion I mentioned, but now, in thought, trying desperately to come up with an answer as to why I was here I was here, I'm sure. "It..." she began before pausing once more. "It can't be..."

"Never thought I'd get a chance to stretch my own limbs again," I said finally taking the time to let out the tension in each body part. "Sister..." I uttered letting a sniffle escape me. "I thought I'd never see the day..."

I simultaneously watched and stretched as Celestia's confusion shone through her actions, her gritted teeth, her inability to look in the eyes. What was equally interesting was her student, who seemed as lost to the situation as a baby kitten. "Princess Celestia, what's going on?" she asked looking back at me, studying me.

Why is Luna's mane--and her eyes, have they ever been that--and she's just so much younger? Princess, I hate to ask but...Is there something you're not telling me?"

As soon as those words came from her mouth, I let their bodies be their own once more. For a second they didn't understand exactly what that meant as I began to take steps toward them. However, within a second, I rushed Tia, falling into her embrace with tears beginning to stream from my eyes. Tia's body language seemed taken aback by the action, but eventually, she let a hoof glide over my body pulling me into her embrace even further. "Luna..." she uttered.

"I've missed you so much, sister...when I woke up, It was dark and cold and I couldn't see you or mom, or anyone..."

I continued to cry into her embrace as she continued to hold me. "Sister, I can't believe you're here..."

"Oh Tia, you don't k-know how scared I was...walking around that shadow of a castle, forced to relive the happiest memories like they were real. I couldn't stand it...but I know it wasn't your fault or mother's, it was an accident."

Celestia looked at me with a smile, although I knew that smile, a smile I had been performing for half my life. "How did you get out of your--

"My room? The guard was quite nice, I said he could go home. I know you probably wanted me to rest but I just had to come to see you sister, I just had to."

I had to do something before she tried to fix it. "I'm just so glad to be back!" I cried out snuggling once more into her embrace. "If not Mother, then it's good to at least see you, and just look at you...went from to pink hair to rainbow hair, magic that could almost rival mine," I teased with a giggle. "It will be perfect again...just you and me, ruling over Mother--well I guess it's our kingdom now, just like Mother wanted right?"

I looked to her with confusion but deep down, I always knew there was something wrong about this moment, it was almost too perfect. "Um," Twilight began from behind us. "I hate to interrupt but um, I'm lost to no end Princesses. It's just...I missed you? Princess Luna, you've been here the whole time, every day beside your sister, ruling as the princess of the night. Is this a symptom, is this why your hair is like this, or maybe even your eyes?"

"Maybe this a personality disorder? I could run some tests and perhaps even see what cause--"

"Twilight." Celestia interrupted in a stern tone almost completely knocking Twilight off her hooves. "Please...please just be silent and listen, for it may cause your judgment of me to...change."

"Princess that's silly, even if you were the reason the world almost got destroyed, I would never judge you negatively, that is well below me."

She sighed, pulling me from her embrace and to her side where she comforted me with her wing. "Twilight, this is Luna."

"No," she uttered with a sign of grief on her face. "Twilight, have you ever once wondered our first names?"

"The one that you know is Princess Luna, a princess through and through. The one from our childhood, however, this Luna... is known by many names. Luna, Magna Luna, or by her full name, Brillare Luna Luminosa. It's confusing I know but just listen to me when I say that, this is the Luna of my childhood, the Luna who never liked the idea of royalty, the real Luna."

Twilight paused, her expression shifted, then shifted again, then shifted again. She was confused, then afraid, then confused again, even questioning the reality of the situation. "The...real Luna? As in, this isn't the same Luna, the Luna who became Nightmare Moon, the Luna who raises the moon every night? Th-that doesn't uh, m-make sense, I mean logically and even magically, I haven't heard--s-so this Luna, right here is a completely different person?"

"But this just doesn't make sense," she said beginning to pace the floor around here. "How can it be the real Luna if it's the same Luna, I mean is it a memory spell, or maybe a multiple personality disorder? But then how would it explain the white hair and the eyes and--"

"Twilight please." Celestia reaffirmed as she used her magic to magically plant Twilight's flank to the floor. "Please...this is just as hard for me as it is for you."

"B-both?" Me and Twilight said with surprise before receiving a gentle nod from Celestia.

"Luna, you assumed your disappearance was accidental...that is," she said turning her gaze away from my own. "Not true..."

"W-what? Sister, what are talking about? N-no, you know what, let's just not talk about it, I'm here, you're here, let us get back to how things were before, when they were normal when we used to hang out every day, talk about what would do if we ever--"

"That's the thing sister, this isn't normal, it will never be. You wish to act nothing happened, I wish not to hold in the guilt I've been feeling ever since...please..."

I looked to my sister, despite all attempts to turn her attention away, I could see that was completely dedicated to this decision, just like she was before. "I...I don't want to hear it."

"I care not about the truth, I just wanted to be here in the real world with you, is that so much to ask?"

When I began to feel magic tug at my body, I immediately let the silver strings of magic begin flowing out of my horn, invisibly tying themselves around the horns of both the mares. Within seconds the magic faded and they could not move. "S-sister, what is this p-power?"

"You're just like father, never around, never once cared about me, only about your own feelings. I don't want to be alone anymore sister, whatever fake Luna you've been talking to for a century can stay where she came from, where I was."

"All the truth will do is drive us apart, I don't want that!" I said as my magic grew more intense, apparently putting a strain on Tia's body as she grunted in pain. "I-I, Tia, I didn't mean to..." I was quick to release them from my magic, immediately taking a step back as guilt began to feed into my own emotions. "Look I...I just want to live life like normal again...whatever this truth is, whether you're responsible or not...please keep it to your thoughts, I wish not to hear it."

I had no hesitation in removing myself from the throne room, however, once the doors finally closed behind me, I realized. She was right. I craved an understanding, the reason for why I ended up there, and so, I watched and listened as Celestia took to her throne once more, rubbing her temples in frustration. "Princess? What...was that about?"

"But I could've resolved all this...so long ago, it's my fault, all my fault she ended up this way."

She groaned, trying her best to beat the lingering fear she felt. "I shall...but you will not like it. When we were little...and still growing into our powers...I sealed away Brillare Luna Luminosa in a place that lies beyond the Dream Realm, and what came back...became Princess Luna..."

A Nightmare Once More

by Lyle Daydream

The Real Luna?